‘Home Rescue’ for heroes: Local program provides property help for senior veterans

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A nonprofit arm of a local property management group’s latest program seeks to help senior veterans with upkeep and projects at their homes.

Operation Home Rescue launched its first round of projects this year. It provides property maintenance for senior veterans in Clark County, using resources and connections from TMG Property Management Services Northwest to perform work on and around those veterans’ homes. Launched in March, three veterans have benefitted from the program, including one from Yacolt, according to information from TMG Cares, the company’s nonprofit branch.

Funding for Operation Home Rescue comes either through TMG Cares directly or through donations of service and supplies from other community partners, the information stated. Gutter and roof cleaning, and pressure washing are among the most requested maintenance, alongside landscaping, yard debris cleanup and others.

The program partners with the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center to help find eligible veterans who are 55 and older. TMG Cares hopes to be able to provide assistance to every eligible veteran who applies to the program in the next five years.

The project started after TMG employees determined what kind of services they wanted to see through the nonprofit side of the business, TMG Cares Community Engagement Coordinator Jennifer Lindsay said.

Lindsay recently helped with work on the property of Bob Kroupa in Yacolt, who is a three-year Army veteran who served as a construction draftsman.

Lindsay said ice storms in the winter hit Kroupa’s property hard. She said volunteers helped to clear fallen limbs across the property, performed kitchen plumbing and lighting work, and worked with local companies for pressure washing and gutter cleaning.

“(Kroupa) loves where he lives and we wanted to give that back to him,” Lindsay said.



Lindsay noted she has military members in her own family, including a grandfather who served in World War II and her father who served in Vietnam, which highlights the importance of helping veterans out.

“We want to make sure they have a safe place to live and call home, and this is a simple way for us to say ‘thank you,’” Lindsay said. “They’re just very grateful for the assistance. A lot of these individuals are people who never had to ask for help before.”

Lindsay said TMG can perform a lot of the upkeep through the company’s in-house maintenance division, alongside existing connections with other services like landscaping and electricians to provide more support.

“We have the resources at our disposal, so how can we use them?” Lindsay said.

Lindsay said TMG Cares’ mission is supporting the communities where it operates.

“That corporate stewardship is built into the culture here at TMG. It’s important to the president, it’s important to the employees,” Lindsay said, adding employees are offered paid time off so they can volunteer at sponsored events throughout the year.

Outside of the work on veterans’ properties, Lindsay said Operation Home Rescue also provides companionship through those working on the project.

“A lot of these individuals I think have been very isolated over the last year, and just having this connection, the human contact and these conversations, it really means a lot for them, too,” Lindsay said. “You don’t account for that when you’re creating your spreadsheets of all the stuff that needs to get done.”